Was your fantasy team recently eliminated from the playoffs? Fortunately, for fantasy gamers in certain states, DraftKings is hosting a $2.5 Millionaire Maker Tournament:
– $2.5 million prize pool
– $1 million first place prize
– Only $3 to enter and FREE with your first deposit
– Starts Sunday, December 13 at 1:00pm EST
And each week, PlayerProfiler and XN Sports outline noteworthy value plays who could either serve as the cornerstones of an optimal cash lineup and/or add upside variance to GPP/tournament rosters.
The Magic Man
Ryan Fitzpatrick, $5,400
Ryan Fitzpatrick posted the best bad quarterback season in league history with the Texans last season. In 2014, Fitzpatrick was sneaky efficient evidenced by an +18.8 (No. 3) Production Premium and 95.3 (No. 9) Passer Rating.
This season, Ryan Fitzpatrick’s statistics have been further propelled by Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, the best WR tandem in the league. Aaron Rodgers’ struggles this season serve as a reminder that weapons matter more to quarterbacks than most sports analysts expect.
Looking for a quarterback to play on DraftKings? Follow the elite receivers. Fitzpatrick is rolling after two consecutive 25-plus fantasy point performances and will face a Titans defense in week 14 playing without top cornerback Jason McCourty. Tennessee just allowed Bortles to throw for 300-plus yards and five touchdowns. Fitzpatrick is more efficient than Bortles, and Marshall and Decker are more efficient than Robinson and Lee. Think about it.
Love Jones
Matt Jones, $3,600
DraftKings tournament winning rosters spend, on average, 26-percent more on wide receivers than running backs. The lesson: pay a premium for the elite target hog wide receivers while saving money by playing newly-anointed workhorse running backs at a discount.
This week’s ascending primary ball carrier is Washington RB Matt Jones. Athletically comparable to Le’Veon Bell, Jones possesses high-end size-adjusted agility evidenced by an 11.16 (68th-percentile) Agility Score and soft hands evidenced by an 83.3-percent catch rate on 19 targets. Moreover, Jones’ propensity for long screen plays has pushed his Yards Per Touch above 5.0 this season. Impressive.
The Washington coaching staff turned over their cards in week 13 revealing a strong preference for Matt Jones over Alfred Morris. Jones out-touched Alfred Morris 19 to 6 and will likely be given every opportunity to strengthen his hold on the team’s primary running back role in week 14. Jones projects to receive 15 to 20 touches again against a Chicago Bears defense allowing 23.6 (16th most) fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. Matt Jones offers the best touches per dollar of salary ratio, and his inexpensive high floor makes him the ideal tournament play this week.
The Big Cousin
Dorial Green-Beckham, $3,700
In his third week as the Tennessee Titans’ starting split, Dorial Green-Beckham finally popped off for 119-yards and a touchdown on only six targets — an incredible 19.8 yards per target in week 13 vs. Jacksonville in week 13. Given Green-Beckham’s playmaker pedigree: 123.0 (97-percentile) Height-adjusted Speed Score (HaSS) to go along with a 12-touchdown season as a sophomore at the University of Missouri, DGB has been a mega-breakout-in-the-making since the season began.
Now entrenched as Marcus Mariota’s go-to outside receiver, Dorial Green-Beckham is finally putting putting his phenomenal size-adjusted athleticism to use. Put Dez Bryant-like ball body control on a 6-5 frame with 4.49 wheels, and DGB is a sports car that Mariota could not keep in the garage for long.
In week 14, the Titans face a New York Jets defense that will likely be without star cornerback Darrelle Revis. In week 13, Dorial Green-Beckham’s cousin Odell Beckham Jr. exploited a Revis-less Jets secondary posting 6 catches for 149 yards (24.8 YPR). If Revis is sidelined, DGB will be the highest ceiling wide receiver under $4,000 on DraftKings this week.
Another Random Old Guy
Zach Miller, $2,700
In a year in which Chris Johnson was rejuvenated, James Jones was efficient, Ted Ginn posted career highs, and Gary Barnidge joined the elite tight end ranks, would it shock anyone if a 31-year old journeyman tight end from University of Nebraska at Omaha ascended to fantasy TE1 status overnight?
Not me. Zach Miller runs a sub-4.60 40-yard dash, possesses a 127.6 (90th-percentile) Burst Score and 11.28 (84th-percentile) Agility Score, and offers an exceptional 10.30 (92nd-percentile) Catch Radius according to PlayerProfiler.com. He is old, he is unknown, and he is an athlete.
With Martellus Bennett lost for the season, Zach Miller becomes the Bears’ new every-down tight end. Chicago faces a Washington defense that only allows 10.5 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends. However, in limited snaps playing behind Bennett this year, Miller has posted a respectable 8.4-percent target share and his +39.4 Production Premium on PlayerProfiler.com is top-5 in the NFL among tight ends albeit in a relatively small sample. Give Miller’s efficiency, he should slide in nicely as Jay Cutler’s No. 2 option in the passing game behind Alshon Jeffery. Miller should also be a featured red zone weapon evidence by his four 2015 touchdowns — a big number for a back up tight end.
At the $2,700 salary level on DraftKings, most DFS grinders will be playing Austin Seferian-Jenkins, a favorite of past Cheat Codes. Maximize value and variance by playing Zach Miller instead.
May the game flow be ever in your favor.
Photo Credit: Keith Allison/Flickr Creative Commons 2.0
